


Too Young for This

by Vacantuser



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vacantuser/pseuds/Vacantuser
Summary: They were far too young for this. Far too young to be in a war. Far too young to kill. They still pushed themselves through, stubborn as always. If they had to lean on the others for support after being forced to kill, no one mentions it.Times the members of Team Voltron had to kill someone and how they were comforted after. Involves lots of cuddling.
Relationships: Allura & Shiro (Voltron), Coran & Pidge | Katie Holt, Coran (Voltron) & Everyone, Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, shiro and keith and lance, shiro and pidge and hunk
Kudos: 21





	Too Young for This

**Author's Note:**

> I'm totally gonna do more one shots like this, angsty with family comfort. Also, I'm finally at season five and oof. Just oof. This has been a trip so far.  
> Coran is totally Space Uncle and I live for him being concerned over the paladins.

Pidge had been the first of them to kill. An accident caused by pure survival instinct. While it was Rover who had pushed Haxus to his death, Pidge felt as though she had been the one to. It was her fault he died, even if it was self defense. She compared it in her mind to cold blooded murder, seeing no difference. Shiro was certain he had killed before, but he couldn't remember it or how it felt. He went to comfort Pidge, but never even made it into her room before turning around and leaving with a quiet apology. That night, everyone listened helplessly to the sobs escaping her room. They all wanted to comfort her, but no one knew how. By morning, a plate of cookies, an extra blanket, and a pillow sat piled by her door. She knew the cookies were from Hunk, but the blanket and pillow was from someone outside her room and she wasn't convinced it was the older paladin. The voice muttering gibberish outside her door all night wasn't his. Taking a deep breath, she decides to pretend the whole Haxus thing didn't happen. It was self defense, she was justified, it didn't happen. She carried on like usual and if anyone noticed the times her resolve broke for a second, no one brought it up. No one brought any of it up, and eventually she managed to mostly forget about it. His face sometimes haunted her dreams and she knew she'd never forget it or the pain that came with it, but she pushed herself past it and shoved the guilt down.

Lance was the next of them to kill. Another case of instinct taking over. He was surrounded and had no choice; he knew it was either them or him and he wasn't ready to die. He screwed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw as he brought his bayard up and fired. He opened his eyes to nightmare. The soldier that had had him pinned was on the floor with blood pooling around his head. He was just thankful he was able to subdue the rest without killing them before he broke down. Pidge recognized the sounds of despair and horror. It was her that stayed with him that night, letting him talk about it and he found comfort in knowing he wasn't alone. Their conversation shifted throughout the night and they talked about everything from their time at the Garrison to their feelings about Voltron and being stuck in space. Neither mentioned that night, but they were always just a touch kinder and understanding to the other, letting their friendship grow from shared trauma. Every time they made eye contact, they knew they weren't alone and whenever one had a nightmare about those dreadful nights, the other was there. They understood the pain the rest of the paladins were lucky not to have experienced yet.

Keith was forced to kill when a Galra soldier caught Pidge by her hair and refused to let go. The blood running down her busted nose and splattered on the wall looked so much worse at the time. He genuinely felt like her life was in danger and stepped into action before he could think. Then he was just looking down at a dead body and Pidge was ok, it was just a bloody nose. He had to live knowing he had just killed someone over a bloody nose. He couldn't look at Pidge without remembering the body, so Lance was forced to comfort him even if they still hated each other at the time. They acted like that night never happened, but it would stay with them forever slowly merging with the memory of the body until Keith oddly felt less guilty about it with Lance's words about it not being his fault and how he would have done the same swirling around his head. It still hurt to think about, so he shoved the memory away altogether. It only grasped at him at night and when his fellow paladins were in danger. He knew deep down he would do it again if it came down to it.

Shiro knew he had killed before, he just couldn't remember it. He repeated to himself that it had to be done, it was him and his team or the Galra putting their lives in danger. It only brought minor comfort the night he was forced to kill again. He knew he had done it before, but now he could remember a pair of dead eyes staring at him in fear. That was the part that crushed him. He knew the soldier was bad and if he hadn't done it, Keith and Lance and the group of young Alhoranias would have died in his place. Still, those milky eyes filled with fear bore into his mind as he tried to sleep. He heard the door open and winced when he saw the familiar red of Keith's jacket and blue of Lance's shirt. He didn't move when Lance laid his jacket over bare shoulders. He had torn his blanket to shreds on accident during the nightmare that woke him up. He didn't move to make room for them, but they snuggled up into his bed anyway. No words were exchanged that night, but none were needed. They knew what he was going through and was thankful he had saved them and the group of children. The warmth of their bodies on either side of his kept the nightmares at bay. If they crept into his room after hearing his screams of a nightmare tearing through his mind, related to that night or not, no one mentioned it, but it was always welcome. Even if some nights it was just Keith because Lance was already with Pidge or Pidge was already with Lance. Finding random paladins sleeping in the same room was becoming the new normal no one ever brought up.

Hunk sobbed even before he did it. It hurt his soul to have to kill, but he was the only one who could do it. Keith, Shiro, and Lance were else where and Pidge was being held down. She reassured him it was ok, he did the right thing and because of him she was safe and got the information she needed. She apologized for leaving herself open again and put him in that position. She curled up with him when they got back to the castle. He still sobbed. She tried to distract him with memories of the Garrison, the fun times they had working together on the ship, and embarrassing stories of Lance. Nothing worked, it was like he couldn't hear her. Eventually, Shiro stumbled upon them curled up in a random hallway, the sound of Hunk's sobs leading the way to them. He sat them and wordlessly rubbed circles in Hunk's back while Pidge curled up against Hunk's side until all three of them fell asleep supported by the wall and each other. Hunk spent more time in the kitchen that week and would seek out the green or black paladin when he needed extra support. They never fell asleep in a room when they were together at night, it always managed to be a hallway. They always woke up laughing at whatever position or place they ended up in and promised to make it to someone, anyone's, bed next time.

Allura was shocked when she had to kill. How had that creature gotten onto her castle undetected? It wasn't a creature, it was definitely humanoid, but calling it a creature helped distance herself from it just a little bit. When her door opened that night, she was fairly surprised to see Hunk and Lance crawling into bed with her, the mice snuggling up between them. It felt safe squished between the many bodies. She still felt a pang of guilt, but remembering everyone else also felt this way made it spin like a whirlwind, spreading it through her body until she felt it was about to consume her. It was her fault they had to fight this war. They were just kids. Everyone was just a kid. Chatter around the castle turned to the positives of being a paladin. The chance to explore, try new things, drive mechanical sentient lions, and see brand new worlds flooded through the rooms. She could tell they were still hurting and homesick, but she felt less guilty seeing them talk about the positives a bit more. If, late at night, their doors opened for a bit before closing again, no one questioned it. Everyone knew it was either Shiro or Allura.

Coran didn't have to kill. He was never forced to feel that pain. Still, he understood his family was hurting, so when Pidge killed so early on in their adventure, he stationed himself outside of her door and whispered to her all night. He knew she couldn't hear her, his voice was too soft, but he was there. When Hunk woke him up that morning to leave a plate of some human dish, he went off to fix what he thought might need it. When Keith killed, he sat outside of his door, too and listened to Lance talking to him. He didn't stay there all night, but he sat there for hours hoping his presence helped. Every time one of the paladins had to step up to that daunting task, he sat outside of their room after at least one of the other paladins had shuffled in to provide understanding comfort to the one hurting. One night, after a particularly hard battle, he found them all, Allura included, sleeping together in a huddle on the floor of the common area. They had all killed many times by now. He sat on the couch and watched their calm breaths. He couldn't help but smile at them. Shiro was in the middle, Keith and Lance on either side of him. Lance had his arms around Allura, who was holding Pidge's hand. Pidge was curled up in a tiny ball surrounded by Hunk's bigger frame, his arm draped over everyone they were so close together. Eventually, Coran found himself on the other side of Keith and the mice that had accompanied him in search of somewhere warm to sleep curled up on Shiro. It became common place for everyone to sleep like that after hard battles. When Shiro disappeared, or Keith was off with the Blades, or someone was on a solo mission, it felt a little more empty and those remaining curled up closer to try to fill the hole it left. It didn't, but it was better than sleeping alone.


End file.
